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CITIZEN TACO’S 2010 ESSENTIAL SXSW GUIDE
Yes, you’ll be running around crazy during the festival, but no, that doesn’t mean you can’t experience the best of what Austin has to offer. Use the following map and essentials guide and you’ll know to hit all the right places (or know exactly what you missed).
Food Map:
aka Citizen Taco’s 2010 South by Southwest Map of Quick, Cheap, Delicious Food in Central Austin, TX
View in Google Maps (computer)
View in Google Maps (iPhone)
Guide:
Tacos!
You simply cannot leave Austin without eating tacos. Good tacos. Especially breakfast tacos. So don’t f*ck up and go somewhere bad. What follows are the very best of the very best…
Breakfast tacos @ any of these locations
Portabella Mushroom taco (& Carnitas taco & Grilled Fish taco) @ Izzoz Tacos
Birria (lamb) taco @ El Borrego De Oro
Barbacoa taco (& Pastor taco & breakfast tacos) @ Taqueria Pachangas
Any taco @ Tacodeli
Nu-School Trailers
The food cart/trailer hype may be a bit overblown (taco trucks have existed here for time immemorial), but a number of the new school of trailers are actually quite good, and a few you simply can’t miss.
BEST OF THE BEST: Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, Counter Culture, Veracruz All Natural
BEST OF THE REST: Sushi A Go Go, G’Raj Mahal, Franklin BBQ, Kebabalicious, Best Wurst, Gourdough’s, Bananarchy
BBQ!
Every meat-eater needs to experience Texas BBQ. The thing to note, however, is that the quality tends to improve as you get farther from the city…
Austin: Ironworks, Sam’s BBQ, Franklin BBQ, Rudy’s Country Store, Mann’s Smokehouse
Driftwood: Salt Lick (25 min from Austin – southwest)
Lockhart: Smitty’s (50 min from Austin – southeast)
Taylor: Louie Mueller’s (50 min from Austin – northeast)
Lexington: Snow’s (80 min from Austin – northeast – Saturday mornings only)
Vegan Food!
Vegans and gluten-intolerants shouldn’t feel left out. You’ll find vegan options all over the city, but a few establishments do a better job than others…
Counter Culture, Daily Juice, Beets Living Foods Cafe, Casa de Luz, Veggie Heaven, Mr. Natural, Borboleta Gourmet Living Cuisine
24 Hr Dining
Austin doesn’t scrimp on good all-hours dining. Keep these places in mind when you’ve lost track of time…
Magnolia Cafe (S Congress or Lake Austin Blvd), La Mexicana Bakery, Kerbey Lane Cafe (original on Kerbey Ln is best), 24 Diner
Grocery Stores
Need to stock up? Don’t miss these awesome grocery stores with great deli/pre-made selections as well.
Whole Foods (The mothership)
Wheatsville Co-op (My personal favorite)
Central Market (The less-corporate counterpart to Whole Foods (though still owned by HEB))
Dive Bars
Skip Sixth St and Red River St and head to these divey-as-hell watering holes. This is where the real drinking happens.
Old School Dives: Horseshoe Lounge, Deep Eddy Cabaret, Mean Eyed Cat, Donn’s Depot, Broken Spoke, Lala’s Little Nugget, Ginny’s Little Longhorn (Chickenshit Bingo on Sundays!)
Hipster Dives: Shangri-La, Longbranch Inn, Scoot Inn, The Liberty, Rio Rita
Best Not-Really-A-Dive Bar: The Good Knight
Draft Beer
I’m a sucker for good draft beer, which can be hard to get around town if you don’t know where to look. Here’s where you’ll find the perfect pairing of atmosphere and tap beer.
The Ginger Man, Whip In, Alamo Drafthouse, Elephant Room, Dog & Duck Pub, Draught House, Flying Saucer, Cherrywood Coffeehouse, Thunderbird Coffee
Coffee
The competitive coffee culture doesn’t thrive here as it does in cities like Portland or New York, but Austin still has a few places that will do the trick.
Caffe Medici (West Lynn or Guadalupe), Once Over Coffee Bar, Green Muse Cafe, Thunderbird Coffee, Jo’s Coffee (Downtown or S Congress), La Boite, Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse, Cherrywood Coffeehouse, Progress Coffee, Emerald City Press, Trailer Perk
Miscellany
Those essential things that defy categorization, or simply stand alone…
Uchi (Best restaurant in the city, should be crazy hard to get a reservation during the festival, but by all means go for it)
El Meson Taqueria (Way out by the airport, plan to stop here on your way in or out of town. Mexican food that will keep Austin in your memory. 7am to 2pm Mon-Sat)
Barton Springs (Not really a food-related activity—technically you can’t even bring food to the pool—but an essential stop if the weather gets hot)
Alamo Drafthouse (Duh! Even if you’re not coming for the film festival, you gotta catch at least one movie here before you leave… and be sure to tip your waiters)
Broken Spoke or Donn’s Depot (For a little Texas two-stepping, out-of-towners head to the Spoke, but for the real deal, scope out the dance floor at Donn’s)
Uncommon Objects (Best place to drop some cash while you’re in town. If you’re not careful, you might spend a whole day in this shop that seems to have literally everything and more)
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Enjoy!
